Hi everybody,
I am the other Ronson researcher and Ancestry tree owner mentioned in this thread. I got some great help here a year or two ago. Finding this thread, working on it and getting in touch with ABC1876 has helped me even more so a big thank you again. The last paragraph below relates to an inexplicable frustration in this case. I suspect I have interpreted wrongly or missed something so obvious that I will be embarrassed at displaying my incompetence but I would welcome some like minded friends to quality assure this conundrum.
So in summary, Henrietta Ronson (1855 baptism but no birth - 1910) had a daughter Emily Ronson (18/2/1875 - 1952). There is no father on the birth certificate. Sometime before late 1880 Henrietta gets together with a John Hodgson (1856 - 1932) No marriage can be found but she has 5 Children with him: Robert Hodgson 1880 and then Elizabeth 1881, Sarah 1887, John Thomas 1889 and John S 1899. This all takes place in and around Carlisle.
It is not unreasonable to presume that prior to hooking up with Hodgson that Henrietta and Emily lived with William Ronson and Mary Rickerby Ronson (nee Moore), Emily's grandparents. Emily is still there on the 1881. When Henrietta then moves out - speculation I know - to live with Hodgson it could well have been that it was Hodgson who insisted on Emily not joining them but staying with her grandparents. If Henrietta was pregnant with Robert she may not have had much choice. Plus young Emily may well have had a great relationship with her grandparents. Unfortunately in 1882 Emily's Grandma Mary Rickerby dies and it seems that Grandad William now heads for Preston to be with his daughter Mary Elizabeth and her husband John Thompson sometime between 1882 and 1885. He dies there in Preston himself in 1885. One suspects that he must have taken Emily with him and, after he dies, she may well then be stranded in Preston, perhaps with people she does not want to be with and who do not want her. We believe that Emily was not treated particularly well by her Aunt. Times were hard in those days and she possibly traded being exploited as a worker in exchange for board and lodgings. We will never know for sure but I think my theories are at least plausible. Fortunately Emily's difficulty does not last too long as she marries late in 1894.
Nothing is simple in family history and I have some very perplexing information that does not fit neatly with the above or with the story of Henrietta, Emily and John Hodgson. The problems in question are the baptisms of Lizzie, William Robert and Mary Ronson all in 1883 and of Thomas Ronson in 1885 ( see records below). All at Carlisle and all were the children of........ wait for it: Henrietta Ronson. At face value we would just say that it is all explained by there being another Henrietta Ronson in Carlisle in the same era. The problem with that is that it is an uncommon name AND I cannot for the life of me find another Henrietta Ronson. I suspect I have made another howler and am not seeing something so obvious that I will be embarrassed if it is pointed out. I cannot find Births for any of these four new Ronson's born to Henrietta Ronson (ours or another). I still think it most likely that this was another Henrietta Ronson but I cannot stand that up. It could be, just, I suppose, that these are very late baptisms of children that our Henrietta had in-between having Emily 1875 and meeting Hodgson in the period 1875 - 1880 but, if so, why no births and no 1881 census entry for them. Why are they not with Emily at Grandparents in 1881 and what happens to them?
If anyone can point out any howler I have made, record I have missed or just give an opinion of what this all means I would be very grateful.
Thank you,
Neil.
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Name Lizzie Ronson Gender Female Baptism Date14/03/1883 (14 Mar 1883) Baptism Place Holy Trinity, Carlisle, Cumberland, England Mother Henrietta Ronson FHL Film Number1472062 Reference IDitem 1 p 77
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Name William Robert Ronson Gender Male Baptism Date14/03/1883 (14 Mar 1883) Baptism Place Holy Trinity, Carlisle, Cumberland, England Mother Henrietta Ronson FHL Film Number1472062Reference IDitem 1 p 77
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Name Mary Ronson Gender Female Baptism Date14/03/1883 (14 Mar 1883) Baptism Place Holy Trinity, Carlisle, Cumberland, England Mother Henrietta Ronson FHL Film Number1472062
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Name Thomas Ronson Gender Male Baptism Date13/06/1885 (13 Jun 1885) Baptism Place Holy Trinity, Carlisle, Cumberland, England Mother Henrietta RonsonFHL Film Number1472062Reference IDitem 1 p 133